leap
Americanverb (used without object)
-
leaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leaped,
past participle, past
-
leapt,
past participle, past
-
leaping
present participle
-
to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump.
to leap over a ditch.
- Synonyms:
- bound
-
to move or act quickly or suddenly.
to leap aside; She leaped at the opportunity.
-
to pass, come, rise, etc., as if with a jump.
to leap to a conclusion; an idea that immediately leaped to mind.
verb (used with object)
-
leaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leaped,
past participle, past
-
leapt,
past participle, past
-
leaping
present participle
-
to jump over.
to leap a fence.
-
to pass over as if by a jump.
-
to cause to leap.
to leap a horse.
noun
-
leaps
plural
-
a spring, jump, or bound; a light, springing movement.
-
the distance covered in a leap; distance jumped.
-
a place leaped or to be leaped over or from.
-
a sudden or abrupt transition.
a successful leap from piano class to concert hall.
-
a sudden and decisive increase.
a leap in the company's profits.
idioms
-
leap in the dark, an action of which the consequences are unknown.
The experiment was a leap in the dark.
-
leap of faith, an act or instance of accepting or trusting in something that cannot readily be seen or proved.
-
by leaps and bounds, very rapidly.
We are progressing by leaps and bounds.
verb
-
(intr) to jump suddenly from one place to another
-
to move or react quickly
-
(tr) to jump over
-
to come into prominence rapidly
the thought leapt into his mind
-
(tr) to cause (an animal, esp a horse) to jump a barrier
noun
-
the act of jumping
-
a spot from which a leap was or may be made
-
the distance of a leap
-
an abrupt change or increase
-
Also called (US and Canadian): skip. music a relatively large melodic interval, esp in a solo part
-
an action performed without knowledge of the consequences
-
with unexpectedly rapid progress
Usage
What does leap mean? To leap means to spring or jump from one point to another, as in Sophie leaped over the hole to avoid falling in. A leap is such a jump. To leap also means to move or act suddenly, as in Santiago leapt out of the way of the dogs running toward him. This action, too, is a leap. We use leap figuratively, as well. For example, we might call new software a leap forward in technology or say that a new band has leapt to the top of the charts. People often also leap to conclusions—that is, they make conclusions without hearing all the facts first. They are figuratively jumping over the facts to the conclusion. We can use leap and jump to mean the same things, but there is a bit of a difference. In a leap, the place you land is different from the place you started, while a jump can be straight up and straight back down. Leap appears in a few different idioms. If you’re doing something by leaps and bounds, it means you’re progressing quickly. A leap in the dark is an action with unknown consequences. A leap of faith is trusting in something that cannot be seen or proven. You might also say that your heart leapt into your throat, referring to the sensation in your throat when something scary happens. The past tense of leap can be either leaped or leapt. Example: The movable-type printing press was a great leap forward in technology.
Synonym Usage
See jump.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
leapsimple
-
leapssimple
-
have leapedperfect
-
have leaptperfect
-
has leapedperfect
-
has leaptperfect
-
am leapingprogressive
-
are leapingprogressive
-
is leapingprogressive
-
have been leapingperfect progressive
-
has been leapingperfect progressive
Past
-
leapedsimple
-
leaptsimple
-
had leapedperfect
-
had leaptperfect
-
was leapingprogressive
-
were leapingprogressive
-
had been leapingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of leap
First recorded before 900; Middle English lepen, Old English hlēapan “to leap, run”; cognate with German laufen, Old Norse hlaupa, Gothic hlaupan
Explanation
The word leap is another word for "jump," but it gives a slightly different image — one of lightness and quickness, perhaps a movement with a little more spring in it than a regular jump. Leap comes from the Old English hlēapan, "to leap or run." The word can convey a happy feeling, as when William Wordsworth writes, "My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky." As a side note, the game of leap-frog appears to have had its beginnings in the 1590s.
Vocabulary lists containing leap
"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Beowulf vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In May, the maker of the Claude large language model said its run-rate revenue was $47 billion, already a big leap compared to the $9 billion Anthropic said it generated in 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Some leap over flame as friends raise phones and cheer.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
Making the legal leap without a DSM diagnosis is even harder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Viruses are not alive and it would take another significant leap for AI to generate living organisms.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
I leap over the gate and run up the stairs and am about to knock on Lou Ann’s door when I hear her say: “It’s a terrible situation.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
But it turned out to be a weak case, one that falls apart under the weight of its own contradictions, omissions, and leaps of illogic.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
Mystifying, that is, until Kanbei offers his insight and Murashige makes a few deductive leaps, at which point he solves the crime like a Japanese Poirot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
While she says customer satisfaction and the airline's reliability has come on "leaps and bounds", she doesn't ever want to say the job is done.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Iran defender Milad Mohammadi leaps over a New Zealand defender during the second half.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
My heart leaps in my throat as I watch the River God lean against his desk.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
She leaped 42-8 3/4 in the triple jump, comfortably ahead of Los Altos senior Daniela Hughes, who finished at 41-1 before sharing the podium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Redick leaped off the bench to call a timeout with 10:36 left in the second to get things back in order for the Lakers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Wholesale-goods costs leaped 1.6%, almost entirely because of higher oil prices.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026
Under second-year coach Dusty May, Michigan leaped in the transfer portal—and opened up the NIL checkbook—to assemble a roster worth roughly $10 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
I again leaped to the firebox, and again was shoved off.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
The CAC 40 added 0.5% in Paris, where Kering leapt 11% after earnings, helping the broader luxury sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Crude oil prices leapt more than four percent as the fresh Middle East flare-up revived fears over global supplies usually shipped through the pivotal Strait of Hormuz.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Frozen forever in mid-skydive, Action Man looks as though he has leapt from an aircraft rather than risen gently from a field.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
It’s why she leapt at the chance to join.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
After a few seconds Fig promptly squirmed out of my grip and leapt onto the floor.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
"Hand-eye coordination, tracking and locating balls, leaping down low or up high, and attacking the ball at corner kicks, that translates very well," Traore says.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Chinchar wondered as he watched a 6ft 3in guy leaping in the air to make a one-handed catch.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Not even a leaping Mullins, one of baseball’s veteran home-run robbers, could stop Freddie Freeman from doing what the Dodgers first baseman does best: hitting clutch home runs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
On Thursday it made a comeback by soaring 2.5%, with Intel advancing 9.3% and Micron Technology leaping 12%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
“Evil traitor!” shouted Gurgi, leaping to his feet.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
